Coach & Horses, Lincoln

Blue Scrumpy left this review about Coach & Horses

I didn't quite know what to expect when arriving at the Coach & Horses. The pub was last in the Good Beer Guide in 2014 and having my copy with me, it suggested I could expect to find Wells Bombardier, Everard's Tiger and a guest beer. However, WhatPub showed that I could expect Mitchell Brewing beers. I can't confess to having heard of them, until now.

The Coach & Horses is indeed the brewery tap for Mitchell Brewing. A husband and wife team look after the pub and oversee a number of staff in the nearby brewing facility. The beer and cider range on handpull immediately caught my eye. The solitary cask ale from Mitchell Brewing was Winston ChurchPale, but there were also a couple from Ferry Ales Brewery - Just Jane & Smokey Joe. In addition, there was a Mitchell cider and a perry - Hop In Cider & A Nice Pear In Cider Top.

On draft, there were also a few more Mitchell beers - Buzz Light Beer, Red Nine, The Puppet Master & Ale Pacino. In Cider was available on keg as well as Berried In Cider. There were clearly quite a few sexual innuendos involved with the cider titles and large posters behind the bar bearing the names of the ciders were quite amusing.

I soon got talking to the friendly landlord and he explained the history of the pub and the brewery. He was particularly proud that his Osama Bin Lager had gone viral, especially in the US where he had been requested to visit for interviews and publicity. Other beers are also named after political leaders, such as Kim Jong Ale, The Orange Musolini (you may be able to guess who this refers to) and Putin's Porter. He has recently taken over Ferry Ales. Hence the Ferry Ales beers on the bar.

The landlord was equally interested in my pursuit of visiting as many different pubs as possible, introducing me to his wife and a few customers, whilst their baby slept in a cot on the bar.

The cider and perry I tried were both sweet, but enjoyable. It seems they had a bit of a falling out with CAMRA many years back when they were told they would be in a Good Beer Guide, only to find out they had been excluded due to limits on numbers. The local CAMRA branch haven't been bothered with them since, but apparently the Lincoln branch love their beers. It's a real shame that CAMRA can be very pig-headed and political at times, at the expense of good pubs and breweries.

The landlord explained how the pub had evolved over time. He had been a customer here when young and had never dreamt he would take it over one day. The area to the right-hand side as you enter is the original pub. Further extensions were gradually made to the left. At the far left-hand end, there is a pool table. Board games are available to play.

The owner has progressive plans to change the pub further and also to move to bigger brewery premises. He did not have a good word to say about the government, warning of many more pubs and breweries heading out of business, but he was really knowledgeable and complimentary about all of the local pubs I was about to visit and clearly enjoys a good relationship with fellow local publicans. He is a season ticket holder at Lincoln City and I noticed that the soundtrack being played in the pub featured songs about the local area, including one about Lincoln Market!

A place that did not look much from the outside proved to be the highlight of my day visiting Lincolnshire pubs. I hope to come back one day and try some of their beers, rather than just the cider and perry.

On 17^th March 2025 - rating: 8
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